Synergy (See #3)(3)

“Monroe, listen. I trust your insight. I believe you, and if you tell me that we need to go, right now – right here – I’ll go to Chara and knock on every door and find someone to come for us. Is that what you want me to do?”

She grimaced. “No. They’re coming.”

“Who’s coming, Monroe? Willow and Landen, more Escorts - or both?”

“Everyone,” she said as she buried her face in her hands.

As terrifying as this moment was, I felt my heart flutter with the promise that meeting Willow and Landen would finally be fulfilled.

“Then we’ll be fine. Listen, you’re the boss. You say go. We go. You say wait. We wait. I won’t let your father or anyone else hurt you. Do you understand me?”

She didn’t answer me. I reached my arm around her and rocked her from side to side. A moment later, Madison came out of the bathroom and looked at me like I was insane.

“What happened?” she asked, kneeling in front of Monroe.

“Did you not notice she was sweating, tossing, and turning when you got in the shower?”

“No, she was sleeping safe and sound,” Madison said, sure of herself.

I was relieved that whatever dream she had or torture she went through didn’t last that long, but at the same time I wasn’t as confident as my words were. Something told me that it took a lot to cause fear in Monroe, and the amount of fear I saw in her eyes would bring a chill to the bravest soul. Knowing Monroe, we still had some time before this happened, maybe enough time to stop it.

I decided then to find a way to talk to Silas that day. It was easy for me to see that he and Monroe had some kind of bond; he’d promised to protect her, and Monroe had pretty much told me with the color of purple that she trusted and loved him.

“Did she dream about ash, too?” Madison asked.

“No, Daddy Dearest.”

“Fantastic,” Madison mumbled. “Come on, girly, let’s get you some water, breakfast.”

Monroe stood and went with Madison down the steps. Though Monroe never spoke to Madison -- or anyone else, for that matter -- it was easy to see that Monroe liked Madison, especially Madison’s sarcasm. Madison made it a goal to make her smile at least once a day.

I gathered my running clothes from the closet, then locked myself in the bathroom. I braced myself on the counter as I stared into my dark eyes. I told myself to have no fear, to not open that door for evil to walk through. I was safe. I was strong. No one was going to hurt me, or the ones I loved.

Downstairs, I found Kara making pancakes for breakfast. Monroe was at the table; she looked calmer, but still terrified.

“Where’s Madison?” I asked.

“Breakfast date,” Kara said, looking over me. “How did you sleep?”

“Better than Monroe, apparently,” I said as I grabbed my bag and keys.

“That’s not saying much,” Kara mumbled. “You want to eat first?”

“No. I don’t want to run on a full stomach.”

Oddly, she didn’t argue with me.

I put my hand on Monroe’s shoulder. “I’ll be back in just a little bit.”

“We won’t be here,” Kara said. “She has testing today at the school, and remember, I’m staying in the city this weekend. The kitchen is stocked, but I’d really rather you guys stay at Nana’s.”

“Too crowded over there. We’ll be fine here,” I said, squeezing Monroe’s shoulder. “Call me when you’re done, and we’ll plan something fun. We have the house all to ourselves this weekend,” I said to Monroe.

She reached up for my hand, and with her touch I saw crows - hundreds of them - circling in the air. I felt danger, my stomach tightened, and escape was all I wanted. When Monroe’s hand fell from mine, the images left, along with the fear.

“OK,” I said as I let out a gasp. “Run from birds. Got it.” I said, trying to sound confident.

Her eyes grew sad as she looked down. I knew she didn’t trust me to do that, either that or she didn’t think it was possible.

“See you in a bit,” I murmured. “Have fun with your friends this weekend,” I said to Kara.

I was really glad she was staying at the apartment in New York with our mom this weekend. I wasn’t sure if Mom was going to be there or not, but Kara’s friends from college were in town, and I wanted Kara to have a break from worrying about me. She’d been on edge for weeks; it seemed like she was always preparing to tell me goodbye for good. Mom had reassured her that no matter where I went, or for how long, that I could see my way to them, that I’d never really be gone, but that offered little comfort to my big sister.

The gene or whatever light Mom was had skipped Kara, or least manifested in other ways. I told Kara that she could see; she just saw worlds that no one else could when she created her stories. I knew if Kara had one wish, it would be that my burden was hers, and that made me sad. I didn’t want anyone to worry about me because all that did was make me worry more. I needed people to be confident around me, to tell me that I could conquer whatever was in my path. I didn’t have time to worry about what was coming. I had to figure out how to beat it.

In the garage, I found the silence. The whispers weren’t absent again; they just seemed to have broader boundaries. I thought maybe it was my dad’s spirit that was keeping them at bay around my house, though I didn’t understand why it would have changed recently.